Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Gramophone - Back To The 20's


Now this is certainly one music player that’s unlikely to impair your hearing. Generally, these gramophones – also known as phonographs –  are  only capable of producing sounds at a relatively low volume compared to modern music players. Yes, this means that we can have Louis Amstrong blazing through the horn without our parents and grandmother shouting from the top of their lungs demanding us to keep the noise level down – although truth to be told, seeing those faces go tomato-red during the process might be an entertainment in itself J. 

Friday, December 10, 2010

Dear Stranger

Dear Stranger,
Thank you so much for your messages of happiness which you email to me almost every single day. After a hard day’s work, I always rush to my email to check what else you have sent me. The large sum of money you offer does seem very promising and it never fails to keep my adrenaline pumping – up to 40% of several hundred thousand dollars should motivate me to quit translating and writing for other people, a job I’m passionate about, where I can use my language skills and creativity, and not to mention my hard-earned Bachelor’s degree in Education.
Better still, you wish to get to know me be better – you want to know my name, age, and occupation. In fact, it really thrills me that you want a photgraph of me... and... a photocopy of my passport and driving license. For someone who works in front of the computer for most part of the day, this is my closest encounter with human beings other than myself.
Dear, Stranger,
You might be particularly interested to know that I keep your letters in a very special folder, which I affectionately call “Spam” all together with other letters from the most important people in my life such as the many other officials from B.O.A (not sure if there’s such thing, just can’t be bothered googling it), and not to mention the lonely but competent females who find me interesting despite of never seeing or hearing about me, and want to get to know me better.
Dear Mr. Ghadeerfarukhramadanabduabuduhassankaboreadamamamudadiallobulgombalgambulgombalgambulcilukbasimsalabim. I am very thankful to God that He has sent me a watchful angel such as you... an angel who always knows that someone out there such as myself is in need for a hand – or shall we say, a dollar – or two. To be honest, I find myself filled with guilt not spending enough time returning your messages, although there are of course, my occasional four-letter word replies. However, I have faith that this should not discourage you from sending me more precious emails. Should my lack of response cause you to back off from this enstranged relationship of ours, I completely understand. Afterall, to me, you’re just a stranger.
A mark of respect to the samaritan who tirelessly spreads the good news.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Hospitals: Health For Sale?

Just recently in Indonesia there have been several cases of less fortunate patients being kicked out of the hospitals where they were being treated because they were no longer able to pay. This is truly degrading not only for these individuals but for Indonesia as a whole. While part of the country's vision/mission as a developing country is to "... prepare to take off," do these cases suggest that not everyone is invited on board?